The Best Jazz Shows in New York City This Week 10/22

October 22, 2012

The leaves are falling, but jazz music will be sticking around a while longer. Here’s a list of shows happening in the city we think you’ll enjoy.

Vijay Iyer Trio
The pianist Vijay Iyer helms one of the best rhythm sections in jazz today. A smart bandleader with a good sense of the piano trio tradition, Iyer knows how to adapt the bare bones configuration of piano, drums and bass to the 21st century without abandoning the past. His group — including Marcus Gilmore on drums and Stephan Crump on bass — performs at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music tonight; go for the 9 p.m. set and it’s BYOB.

Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath has a warm and lovely smile, which has only grown more charming with age. But when the tenor saxophonist gets behind his horn, watch out. Heath turns 86 this week, and to celebrate, he’s spending Tuesday through Sunday at Blue Note. He’ll be joined by a long list of stellar musicians, including Antonio Hart, Gary Smulyan, Sharel Cassity, John Mosca, Greg Gisbert, David Wong and Lewis Nash.

George Coleman Organ Quintet
The saxophonist George Coleman is probably best known for his work, in the early 1960s, with Miles Davis’s excellent second quintet. But Coleman is an accomplished leader himself, and Thursday through Sunday, he’ll bring his organ group to the Jazz Standard, featuring Mike LeDonne on the Hammond B-3, Russell Malone on guitar, Daniel Sadownick on percussion and Coleman’s son, George Coleman Jr., on drums.

Marco Cappelli’s Italian Surf Academy
On his fine new album, The American Dream, Italian guitarist Marco Cappelli blends American surf music with tunes from the spaghetti westerns of his homeland, among other influences. With Luca Lo Bianco on bass, Francesco Cusa on drums and the singer Gaia Mattiuzzi, Cappelli’s Italian Surf Academy plays this Friday at Littlefield. Marc Ribot, no stranger to surf music himself, will also perform with his own trio, Ceramic Dog, featuring Shahzad Ismaily on bass and Ches Smith on drums.

McCoy Tyner
Like his longtime bandmate, the late John Coltrane, pianist McCoy Tyner can bring both thunderous intensity and delicate refinement to his playing. This Friday and Saturday, at the Allen Room, Tyner will channel the “gentle side of Coltrane” as part of the John Coltrane Festival, which runs through Nov. 3 and is presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center. Tyner will be joined by the bassist Dave Holland and the drummer Jack DeJohnette.